Inside the April 2009 Issue

Features

Cover Story: Where There’s Smoke ...

The Municipal Pipe Tool Co. uses a simple testing protocol to identify sewer leaks – which often become repair business opportunities

Special Feature: Ready for Duty

Optimism pervades the exhibit hall as Pumper & Cleaner Expo attendees discover the latest technologies for pipe and drain cleaning, repair and maintenance

Profile: Leading with Vision

A South Carolina franchise uses video inspection and utility locating to drive growth in repairs and establish a strong business

Overheard Online: Dealing With Tough Floor Drain Jobs

Contracting professionals share thoughts on the proper cable configuration for reaching from drains into laterals with potential blockages

Tech Perspective: Choosing Your Locator

Here are some tips for understanding utility locating technologies and selecting a unit to suit your everyday working conditions

Columns

Tough Job: Under the Gun

An emergency cured-in-place pipe repair enables a veneer mill in Oregon to pass its Department of Environmental Quality inspection

Better Business: The Contractor’s Wife

It is often the bookkeeping spouse who has the best perspective on what ails a business, and often on what it takes to set things right

Money Machines: Taking Inventory

Milwaukee-area drain cleaner’s trucks are integrated with inventory software to keep field technicians organized and well stocked

Product Spotlight: Push Camera System Built for Versatility

The VeriSight push camera system from Envirosight LLC offers drain cleaners multiple sonde frequencies, interchangeable camera heads, digital recording capability, and self-diagnostics.

Letters to the Editor: Perspective on Mechanical Root Cutting

I read Peter Kenter’s article, Routing Roots (Tech Perspective, Cleaner, December 2008) with great interest, and I found that I agreed with many of the comments made by David Bradford of Shamrock Pipe Tools.

Reader Pipelines: Opportunity Knocks

Contractors protecting their customers’ long-term interests find that a drain-cleaning service call often leads to more work to correct the root causes of stoppages

Safety First: Know Your Enemy

It’s always worth revisiting the dangers of hydrogen sulfide, the highly toxic gas most often associated with sewer fatalities

Industry News: Industry News

Mr. Rooter Listed on Magazine’s Top 500 List; NASSCO Introduces Sewer Grouting Web Site; Perma-Liner Receives Keeping America Strong Award; Spartan Tool Names Nesky VP of Sales; Flexible Pipe Tool Acquires Shamrock; REHAU, DBI to Produce Municipal PVC Pipe

From the Editor: Being Green

It’s not so hard to do these days. And there are many good reasons, for social good and personal benefit, to lighten the load on the environment.

Money Manager: 46 Ways to Pay Taxes

An understanding of individual state laws, good records and a big supply of antacid tablets can help you survive a sales tax audit